life estate

British

noun

property that may be held only for the extent of the holder's lifetime

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He will also leave me a life estate in our home.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

In return, he says he will give you $400,000, a $140,000 car and a life estate in his home.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

It cannot override a life estate, a valid prenuptial agreement or named beneficiaries.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026

Generally, a life estate trumps a prenuptial agreement, and a prenup trumps a will.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026

The farm on which he died was one his son purchased, providing a life estate therein for him and his wife.

From Abraham Lincoln, Volume 1 (of 2) The True Story Of A Great Life by Herndon, William H.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023